charter arms bulldog .44 special

R

riddleofsteel

New member
anybody out there had any experience with the Charter Arms Bulldog .44 special. ther is one at a local gun shop for $250.00 that looks brand new and is very tight. the inside of the cylinders seem to need a little polish but that i have done before. it seems to have a steel frame but is very light and a snubbie. anybody shoot one? what ballistics could i expect? i load for the .44 special so ammo can be custom built. what do you think. dilly or dud?

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Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what is for lunch.
Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the outcome of the vote.
Let he that hath no sword sell his garment and buy one. Luke 22-36
They all hold swords, being expert in war: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night. Song of Solomon 3-8
The man that can keep his head and aims carefully when the situation has gone bad and lead is flying usually wins the fight.
 
I don't have any experience with that firearm. I love my Charter Arms UnderCover .38spl. This is my second one. Sold the first one. :(

These are out of production. I'm always on the look-out for a Bulldog. If I came across one in the condition you describe I would pay $250 for it.

Sgt.K
 
I've always wanted one of those. I believe the charter arms revolvers were of variable quality, the older ones (70's) having the best reputation. I believe the company reorganized in bankruptcy a few times in the '80's, reborn under the "Charco" nameplate. The only firsthand experience I have with Charter Arms is with an older "undercover" .38 snubnose which looked good but had rough cylinders (easy fix) and an awful trigger. The "bulldog" .44 may exibit superior build quality. $250 seems a little high, then again these haven't been made in a while... I'd say if the trigger is decent and the timing is good, and you really want it, go for it! I probably would if I could find one in excellent condition.
vanfunk
 
I have an original .44 Bulldog and I love mine. I shoot factory ammo but I'm sure it will hold up to handloads. I see that someone in Connecticut has started up Charter Arms anew. You can find the sight at www.charterfirearms.com You may be able to contact them for more information. Check them out.

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***Torpedo***
It's a good life if you can survive it!
 
I have a Charter Arms "Target Bulldog" .357 that I bought back in the 1970's. Its a 4" 5-shot revolver. It works fine, although the cylinder release screws work loose and I have to tighten/tinker with it every now and then. But I've carried it on many backpacking and fishing trips.

AIM Surplus (http://www.aimsurplus.com) has new-in-box stainless Charter Arms snub-nose .44's for $239.95. I don't know when these were manufactured. I wasn't aware that they made stainless models, but I could be wrong.

Doug
 
I owned a stainless bulldog about 10 years ago. It is indeed a light and compact powerhouse. The downside is rather stiff recoil (though no greater than a .357 snub). Mine wasn't terribly accurate -- I'd get 6 inch groups shooting offhand at 15 yards with Federal 200 gr. Hollowpoint semi-wadcutters and about the same for Winchester Silvertips (I don't think the inaccuracy was me although I could be wrong...). I sold it after putting only a couple of boxes through it because of rumors suggesting questionable long term durability.
 
I've had one for 18 years. Nice sharp trigger, good action. The only thing less than perfect was the factory wooden grips. Nothing aftermarket rubber grips can't fix.

Tom
 
I bought one new in 1977 for $139.00. It was the first new handgun I ever bought. It wasn't much for accuracy with the factory round nosed lead bullets , but I had a friend load some semi wadcutters up for me and I got where I could hit a 2 litre drink bottle at 30 to 40 yds. It was a real cannon with the reloads. I lost this gun when someone stole it out of my car.I think you would like one if you got it. ---C.L.
 
I've had a stainless one since the early eighties. I had the hammer bobbed on the barrel cut to two inches. It was my ankle holster gun for years. Still works fine after about two thousand rounds. The recoil is comparable to a J-frame .357.
 
There seems to be a calming affect brought on by looking down a large hole and seeing a lead Keith type hollow point wanting to come out and meet you. A Bull Dog was my second gun for a long time when I was driving police cars for a living.

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Ne Conjuge Nobiscum
"If there be treachery, let there be jehad!"
 
Great gun, but you mention a problem that leads me to believe that you're looking at one of their 'problem' guns. Their later production guns had an issue with rough chambers. You can punch a hole in your palm trying to remove hot empties. If you can do some polishing, shouldn't be a problem.

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Ronnie
 
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